Eye-Openers: David Chang talks MSG, umami and misconceptions [Video]

Checking out the Ritual Roasters outpost up in Napa’s Oxbow Market. [Food GPS]

From the national scene:

With the hope of educating the masses on a misunderstood ingredient, David Chang explains everything you ever wanted to know about umami and MSG — the ingredient that has become “vilified and basically a pariah” in Western culture. From the molecular level to Chinese restaurant syndrome, it’s all in the video from Denmark’s MAD Symposium above. [via MAD]

In a profile of Australian superchef Ben Shewry, French food critic Luc Dubanchet recalls how Shewry made people cry during a lecture: “Ben told stories of his life and his food, of his relationship with his father, while cooking a potato in its own earth and a dish of oysters and sea water. The audience was speechless, out of breath. The dishes were beautiful, pure emotion, and yes, we were crying.” [Sydney Morning Herald]

Q&A with the guy who creates the menu items at Dunkin’ Donuts: “People rely on us for on-the-go eating, and the Sausage Pancake Bites were the perfect two-bite size, pop-able snack. You could have them walking, have them in the car.” Yep. [BusinessWeek]